(eng) Karen Dudley by Food for the Gods

Author:Food for the Gods [Gods, Food for the]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Well, we’ve had a busy morning here,” Irene informed me as soon as I walked into the house. “First off, the leech has been and gone. He said the master was doing well enough, that he’s got a fever and we’re to give him cooled willow bark tea to keep it down.”

She helped me out of my cloak and sniffed disdainfully. “He didn’t even change the master’s bandages. Left that for me to do, the lazy good-for-nothing. If you ask me, bringing him in a second time was a waste of good money, to say nothing of the first time. I’ve known about willow bark long before he was knee-high to the scrawny chicken he looks like. Good common sense, it is. I didn’t pay him. Told him you or the master would settle up later. He didn’t seem very happy about it, but I told him that just because he knew a few things about herbs and bones and the like didn’t mean he could go squeezing money out of a sleeping man lying on his sick couch. He’ll get paid when he gets paid. That’s what I said. Strabo saw him to the door.”

“I see.”

“And after the leech slimed his way out of here, Meidias came sniffing about. With two of his lads, no less. What you’re doing consorting with the likes of that one, I’ll never know. A nasty piece of work, he is. He’d as soon spit at you as look at you. ”

I sighed. I was going to have to do something about Meidias—and soon. Xenarchus had been generous and there had been plenty of tips that night, but I’d since had unforeseen expenses in the form of olive oil, and Lysander had not yet paid me for his disastrous symposion. At this point, I was loath to collect the debt. I did not need further association with that particular event. This meant, however, that I did not have the ready coin to pay Meidias.

“I owe him money,” I told Irene.

“Well, pay him then and get him off our backs. Imagine him having the nerve to come ’round here and tell us what for.” She pursed her lips in disapproval.

“I will,” I told her. Just as soon as Timon paid me, I added silently.

But then, as if I’d spoken the words out loud, Irene sniffed and said, “And then we had that slave come ’round, you know, that tall bent fellow. Timon’s man.”

My stomach sank. “Timon?”

Irene nodded. “He’s gone and cancelled on you, hasn’t he? His slave said he was hurt something terrible in the Agora last night. Seems he’s too sick to hold his symposion. What’s this world coming to when an honest man can’t go to market without the Kindly Ones tearing a strip off him? Why I remember when—”

“Cancelled?” I broke in. “Are you certain? Cancelled. Not postponed?”

“Cancelled. That was word he used. His man never said anything about setting a different time and he scuttled out of here before I could even think to ask.

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